MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's landings totaled 852,000 tonnes in 2004

The Argentine Fisheries Department Statistics Office announced that in 2004 the Argentine fishing fleet landed 851,689 tonnes of fish and shellfish.

According to preliminary numbers recorded by the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (SAGPyA), the fresh fish offshore fleet registered the largest landing volumes: 349,799 tonnes of the 460,645 landed by the whole fresh fish fleet.

Among freezer vessels, trawlers took the lead with a total 229,611 tonnes out of 391,054 tonnes landed by the freezer fleet in general, followed by the surimi fleet, with 68,068 tonnes, and squid-jiggers, 65,776 tonnes.

The report indicates Mar del Plata in the province of Buenos Aires, received most of the landings totalling 417,405 tonnes, followed by Puerto Madryn (Chubut) with 145,693 tonnes; Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) with 119,802 tonnes; Comodoro Rivadavia, with 57,526 tonnes; and the Port of San Antonio Este (Río Negro), with 20.278 tonnes.

Common hake (Merluccius hubbsi) accounted for the largest volume landed, amounting to 409,183 tonnes, more than 48% of total landings and the fresh offshore fleet contributed 66%. Out of the total common hake volume landed, 368,920 tonnes were caught south of parallel 41º S, and 35,963 tonnes north of that parallel, whereas the remaining 4,300 tonnes corresponded to juvenile fish.

The port at Mar del Plata landed the majority of common hake catches with 252,517 tonnes, followed by Puerto Madryn with 56,870 tonnes and Comodoro Rivadavia 50,111 tonnes.

Hoki (Macruronus magellanicus) is a rising star with total landings of 111,301 tonnes. Ushuaia was the main landing port with 55,838.5 tonnes; followed by Puerto Madryn, with 35,277 tonnes.

Illex (Argentinus) squid landings in 2004 totaled 74,594 tonnes of which 65,767 tonnes were landed by jiggers and 5,936.8 tonnes by fresh-fish offshore vessels. Puerto Madryn was the main landing port with 34,034.8 tonnes; Mar del Plata, 20,186.5 tonnes and Puerto Deseado 12,602.9 tonnes.

Total shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) volume landed was 26,995 tonnes, of which 23,843.3 tonnes were caught by freezer beam-trawlers and 1,510.4 tonnes by fresh-fish coastal vessels. Of the total shrimp, 50% equivalent to 13,122.4 tonnes was landed at Puerto Deseado and the remaining 7,919.3 tonnes in Chubut: 3,605.3 tonnes in Puerto Madryn; 2,437.1 tonnes Comodoro Rivadavia; and 1,876.9 tonnes Rawson. (FIS/MP).